Establishes a full year youth employment immersion pilot program for eligible youths and young adults between the ages of 16 and 24; directs the office of temporary and disability assistance to establish a youth or young adult employment immersion pilot program in 3 local social services districts, with one being located in the city of New York.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
184--B
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE(Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sens. PERSAUD, MYRIE, RAMOS, SCARCELLA-SPANTON -- read
twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the
Committee on Social Services -- recommitted to the Committee on Social
Services in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- reported favora-
bly from said committee and committed to the Committee on Finance --
committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and
recommitted to said committee -- committee discharged, bill amended,
ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to establishing a
full year youth employment immersion pilot program; and in relation to
creating a youth or young adult employment immersion pilot program in
three social services districts
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The social services law is amended by adding a new section
2 131-y to read as follows:
3 § 131-y. Youth employment immersion pilot program. 1. For the purposes
4 of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
5 (a) "Office" means the office of temporary and disability assistance.
6 (b) "Program" means the youth employment immersion pilot program
7 established under this section.
8 (c) "Eligible youths and young adults" means economically disadvan-
9 taged state residents who are between the ages of sixteen and twenty-
10 four who are not currently employed, and (i) for those age sixteen
11 through eighteen, are enrolled in high school or a high school equiv-
12 alency program, or (ii) for those age nineteen through twenty-four, have
13 graduated from high school or received high school equivalency. The term
14 "eligible youths and young adults" shall not include individuals who
15 have completed, or are currently enrolled in, post-secondary education,
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00868-04-6
S. 184--B 2
1 or a business, professional, vocational, technical, or trade school
2 licensed or approved by the regents, or an apprenticeship program.
3 (d) "Economically disadvantaged" means state residents who are
4 currently receiving safety net or family assistance or who reside in a
5 household that would be eligible for receipt of safety net or family
6 assistance based on means testing.
7 (e) "Professional and transferable skills" shall include, but not be
8 limited to:
9 (i) collaboration;
10 (ii) communication;
11 (iii) creativity;
12 (iv) critical thinking; and
13 (v) self-advocacy.
14 2. The office shall establish a youth employment immersion pilot
15 program. The program shall be administered by the local social services
16 districts with supervision and regulation by the office. The program
17 shall be for eligible youths and young adults which shall include:
18 (a) up to twenty-five percent of an eligible youth or young adult's
19 time with the program being spent on education and employment readiness,
20 including, but not limited to:
21 (i) attending programs which teach workforce readiness, skill develop-
22 ment, financial literacy, or digital literacy;
23 (ii) earning a certification or license; or
24 (iii) being provided with job placement and retention services; and
25 (b) at least seventy-five percent of an eligible youth or young
26 adult's time with the program being spent engaging in paid employment
27 that builds professional and transferable skills.
28 3. The program shall permit eligible youths and young adults to apply
29 for participation in the program for a period of up to one year. Youth
30 and young adults shall not be permitted to remain as a participant in
31 the program if they (i) are ages sixteen through eighteen and drop out
32 of high school; or (ii) otherwise enter post-secondary education, or a
33 business, professional, vocational, technical, or trade school licensed
34 or approved by the board of regents or an apprenticeship program while
35 enrolled in the program.
36 4. Youths and young adults who complete a full year of the program
37 shall have the option of re-applying to extend their participation in
38 the program by one year if they remain eligible youths and young adults
39 pursuant to the criteria set forth in subdivision three of this section.
40 5. The program shall perform outreach to eligible youths and young
41 adults at: high school equivalency programs; high schools, specifically
42 reaching out to students who do not have plans after graduation; and
43 public assistance work readiness programs. The program shall also reach
44 out to youths and young adults who are being released by the criminal
45 justice system or non-secure placement programs.
46 6. The program may provide employers with subsidies of up to one-third
47 of the gross wages for up to one year for the hiring of a participant in
48 the program.
49 7. Program participants shall be compensated for employment, education
50 and employment readiness components at a rate equal to two hundred
51 sixty-five percent of the federal poverty line for a household of one.
52 § 2. 1. A youth or young adult employment immersion pilot program is
53 hereby established by the office. The office shall select three local
54 social services districts, with one being located in the city of New
55 York, and the others reflecting geographic diversity. The pilot program
56 shall be established and operational within 9 months of the effective
S. 184--B 3
1 date of this act and remain operational for a minimum of 24 months to
2 provide eligible youth and young adults with services and employment or
3 connection to employment for the full duration of the pilot.
4 (a) The local social services district may operate the program in
5 coordination with the applicable local youth bureau.
6 (b) Nothing in this section shall limit a local social services
7 district or youth bureau from contracting with a not-for-profit entity
8 to effectuate the youth employment immersion pilot program.
9 2. Throughout the pilot, the local social services district shall
10 evaluate program participants and report the following information to
11 the office, on a schedule determined by the office, which does not
12 include any personally identifying information of any pilot program
13 participant:
14 (a) the number of participants and the length of time each participant
15 was in the pilot program;
16 (b) the number of participants who obtained certifications and/or
17 credentials during their participation in the pilot program;
18 (c) the number of participants who obtained gainful employment during
19 the course of the pilot program; and
20 (d) any other information requested by the office.
21 3. The office shall prepare and submit the report, containing the data
22 analyzation, annually to the governor, the temporary president of the
23 senate, the speaker of the assembly, the chair of the assembly committee
24 on social services, and the chair of the senate committee on social
25 services no later than ninety days following the conclusion of the two
26 year pilot program.
27 4. For the purposes of this section, the term "office" shall mean the
28 office of temporary and disability assistance.
29 § 3. Subparagraph (ix) of paragraph (a) of subdivision 8 of section
30 131-a of the social services law, as added by section 1 of subpart D of
31 part XX of chapter 55 of the laws of 2020, is amended to read as
32 follows:
33 (ix) all of the income derived from participation in the summer youth
34 employment program or youth employment immersion pilot program, provided
35 however, that such income shall be exempt only for an individual who is
36 not older than age twenty-four at the time of enrollment in the summer
37 youth employment program or youth employment immersion pilot program and
38 such disregard must be applied for the length of the individual's
39 participation in such program. The commissioner shall seek any federal
40 waiver necessary to effectuate the one-time earned income disregard
41 pursuant to this subdivision.
42 § 4. The office of temporary and disability assistance shall submit to
43 the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the United
44 States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service any amend-
45 ments to the state plan which are necessary to effectuate the provisions
46 of this act.
47 § 5. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that:
48 (a) sections one, two and three of this act shall take effect upon
49 approval by the United States Department of Health and Human Services
50 and the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition
51 Service of the amendments to the state plan submitted by the office of
52 temporary and disability assistance pursuant to section four of this
53 act;
54 (b) the office of temporary and disability assistance shall notify the
55 legislative bill drafting commission upon the occurrence of the approval
56 of the amendments in the state plan provided for under paragraph (a) of
S. 184--B 4
1 this section in order that the commission may maintain an accurate and
2 timely effective data base of the official text of the laws of the state
3 of New York in furtherance of effectuating the provisions of section 44
4 of the legislative law and section 70-b of the public officers law; and
5 (c) effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of
6 any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on
7 its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before
8 such effective date.
